Best Places In The World To Retire

The lifestyle in Chapala and Ajijic depends on what you are, who you are, what you’re doing and how old you are. It also depends on how you socialize.
 
For example, some people in Chapala might be retired military and they are very active with the American legion.  They might walk on the malecon (boardwalk by the lake), they might go out a lot, and hang out in the plaza. In Ajijic, some people might be part of the Lake Chapala Society. They might have a house and have...

The lifestyle in Chapala and Ajijic depends on what you are, who you are, what you’re doing and how old you are. It also depends on how you socialize.
 
For example, some people in Chapala might be retired military and they are very active with the American legion.  They might walk on the malecon (boardwalk by the lake), they might go out a lot, and hang out in the plaza. In Ajijic, some people might be part of the Lake Chapala Society. They might have a house and have guests over frequently. Others will take Spanish lessons. Younger people might work and go to the gym and be in more social events.
 
There are always a lot of fiestas here in Mexico. Here in the state of Jalisco area, we probably have fiestas almost every month so you’ll always be able to find a municipality or plaza with fireworks and a live band playing at least for about a week out of a month if you want to look for it. To experience the culture and the people and their cultural events, I have seen dances and presentations very frequently in the Chapala and Ajijic area. So there are always things to do and people to see. It depends on how social you are and what you want to do. 
 
If I were to compare LA to Mexico, I would probably compare LA to Guadalajara because Guadalajara has theatres, operas, and concerts but you have our urban sprawl; it’s spread out, and you can spend a lot of time in traffic. In Chapala and Ajijic, in contrast, you’ve got a high concentration of foreigners in a small area so it’s something that you can’t compare to the US. You’ve got a lot of culture and food and art and things that are in really concentrated in a small area.  In Chapala and Ajijic, there are maybe a couple of stop lights and 2 or 3 gas stations versus the 4 lane highways, traffic, urban sprawl, strip malls and shopping centers they have in Guadalajara. Guadalajara is a real city and Chapala still has its small town charm. We have a Wal-Mart and more stores opening up, but it’s still very, very suburban.  The comparison I can make is that the relationship between Guadalajara and Chapala is like the relationship between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

 

(Lakeside, Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

The United States has a highly stringent policy when it comes to the taxation of its citizens and permanent residents (i.e., those with a green card). The US government taxes all of its citizens based on worldwide income, which means it does not matter where the money is earned. 

 

The United States has a highly stringent policy when it comes to the taxation of its citizens and permanent residents (i.e., those with a green card). The US government taxes all of its citizens based on worldwide income, which means it does not matter where the money is earned. 

 

Whether or not I need to own a car in Portugal depends first, the place where I live.  In Estoril and Cascais (in the Lisbon area), you have everything at walking distance. If you want to go to the city center, you have a coastal train that’s a beautiful trip—the train goes always along the seafront from Cascais to the city center of Lisbon and it takes 25 minutes. The bus and taxi terminals are all over the place. So transportation in Portugal is very, very well...

Whether or not I need to own a car in Portugal depends first, the place where I live.  In Estoril and Cascais (in the Lisbon area), you have everything at walking distance. If you want to go to the city center, you have a coastal train that’s a beautiful trip—the train goes always along the seafront from Cascais to the city center of Lisbon and it takes 25 minutes. The bus and taxi terminals are all over the place. So transportation in Portugal is very, very well developed. Not only that, we have various motorways that connect the north to the south of Portugal within 3 to 4 hours. So you can cross our country in 4 and a half hours from top to bottom, and from side to side, you can do it in 2 hours.
 
Personally, I have a car, and pretty much everybody, in middleclass and above has a car.  In a family of five there’s five cars.

 

(Rossio train station, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)

I suggest that, in Nicaragua, buyers should always work with an internationally recognized real estate company whenever possible. Currently in Nicaragua there are several franchises such as Remax, Coldwell Banker and Century 21 which have offices in most of the major towns such as Granada and San Juan del Sur.

 

In this way the buyer does have a certain level of legal recourse in the event that there is a problem with a transaction or a brokerage office. Most of these...

I suggest that, in Nicaragua, buyers should always work with an internationally recognized real estate company whenever possible. Currently in Nicaragua there are several franchises such as Remax, Coldwell Banker and Century 21 which have offices in most of the major towns such as Granada and San Juan del Sur.

 

In this way the buyer does have a certain level of legal recourse in the event that there is a problem with a transaction or a brokerage office. Most of these franchise offices report to a Latin American office and must maintain a high level of customer service.

 

 

If somebody wants to live and retire on an island in Belize, the best would be Caye Caulker (pictured at left). If somebody wanted to live inland, the best would be San Ignacio. These are very popular areas for different reasons.

Caye Caulker is a good-sized island with lots of stores, gift shops, apartments and condos.  It has a landing strip and is about an hour from Belize City. It’s more laid-back, more easy going, more friendly and less congested than the...

If somebody wants to live and retire on an island in Belize, the best would be Caye Caulker (pictured at left). If somebody wanted to live inland, the best would be San Ignacio. These are very popular areas for different reasons.

Caye Caulker is a good-sized island with lots of stores, gift shops, apartments and condos.  It has a landing strip and is about an hour from Belize City. It’s more laid-back, more easy going, more friendly and less congested than the town of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. San Pedro is “party-central.” Everybody goes there to party and drink a lot and have fun. In Caye Caulker, you can take a 30 or 40 minute boat ride and experience the best fishing and best diving because you are in a great spot. For sand and sun and sea lovers, I would definitely say that Caye Caulker is the best place to live and retire in Belize.

San Pedro is on the island of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker is on a separate island. Caye Caulker is between Belize City and Ambergris Caye. San Pedro is the main town on the island of Ambergris Caye, which is the biggest island. For somebody that’s visiting San Pedro and Ambergris Caye by boat and taking the water taxi from Belize City, they would probably make a stop at Caye Caulker and get to see what it’s like there. They won’t set a foot on Caye Caulker, but at least they get to see it from the water.

There are lots of expats in San Pedro, but from my personal experience, it’s too congested. For a retiree who wants to live in Belize long term, Caye Caulker would be the better option. San Pedro would be just for vacation.

If you choose to live and retire in San Ignacio, you will find it nice, laid-back and easy going. There are surrounding villages, such as Cristo Rey, Bullet Tree and Santa Familia that are very popular expat destinations. Expats who want to immerse themselves in the community, prefer these areas. People who love nature, the rolling hills, the rivers, the creeks, the caves and the Mayan ruins live and retire in San Ignacio for these reasons. On the other hand, people who are in vacation mode or looking for vacation homes, they will probably be into Placencia. Older people who are retired and want to live in a Belize for a few months would probably be in Corozal, particularly because they are so close to Mexico. There are larger stores in Mexico and it is an easy boat ride or drive away.

The people who come into San Ignacio are the ones who want to get involved in the community, want to help the women and children, want to start a small business, whether it be in construction or a restaurant or hotel. People who move to San Ignacio or around San Ignacio live there long term and they really enjoy it.

Cristo Rey is a village that is three and a half miles away from San Ignacio. It is also a popular expat destination. Bullet Tree is another town and is named after a natural rock-solid tree. There are lots of expats in Cristo Rey and Bullet Tree, as well as Santa Familia, which means “Holy Family.” Santa Familia is relatively close to San Ignacio. It is about five miles away and there are lots of expats.

You will find Mayan families in Cristo Rey and Bullet Tree. They are great locations because they’re close to town and you can buy a couple to five acres at inexpensive prices. These are villages that are on the river, which is very desirable for expats. For an expat to have a couple of acres by the river is a huge deal. Cristo Rey is by the Macal River and Bullet Tree and Santa Familia are side by side and on the Mopan River. Property on the river sells out fast because this is significantly less expensive than property on the Coast or on the Cayes.

 

The construction standards in Panama can vary dramatically based on the location of the construction and which builder is used.  When you’re looking at properties that are on the beach or that are in the highlands or in faraway places from Panama City, a lot of the standards can be dramatically less than the luxury high-rises that would be in the heart of the city, for example in the neighborhoods like Punta Pacifica, that are considered the pinnacle for quality...

The construction standards in Panama can vary dramatically based on the location of the construction and which builder is used.  When you’re looking at properties that are on the beach or that are in the highlands or in faraway places from Panama City, a lot of the standards can be dramatically less than the luxury high-rises that would be in the heart of the city, for example in the neighborhoods like Punta Pacifica, that are considered the pinnacle for quality construction.  Like anywhere in the world, it is important to do your due diligence and know who the builder is and their reputation.

 

(The twin buildings of Miramar Towers were once the tallest in Panama City, Panama, pictured.)